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In Scotland, despite differences in views and parties, the 1975 EC referendum shares some similarities with the EU referendum today, writes James Mitchell. He suggests that the referendum will be an unpredictable contest with the prospect that Scotland may either vote differently than the rest of the UK or swing the overall UK vote, both of which could raise constitutional questions on the future of the UK union.

Voter’s attitudes to constitutional relationships are not the only determinant for success or failure for ‘regionalist and nationalist parties’ such as the SNP and Plaid Cymru, says Anwen Elias.

Territory - and the question of who has political control over it - continues to be an important, and often highly contentious, issue in multinational states. And yet the electoral fortunes of the regionalist and nationalist parties (RNPs) that challenge the state's political authority varies substantially from place to place.

Although, overall, women were slightly less likely to vote Yes than men in the independence referendum, the upswing in voter turnout and in support for the Yes campaign was due in no small part to grassroots women’s organisations campaigning for independence.

How do women engage differently in referenda and elections? And why does this matter? These were some of the questions explored at Feminizing Politics ESRC Seminar in Edinburgh last month on ‘Voice: Women, the Independence Referendum 2015, and the General Election 2015’. Cera Murtagh (University of Edinburgh) reports.

Recent changes to Italian electoral law are intended to address similar anomalies to those that came to light in #GE2015 but, says Carlotta Redi, there seems to be little appetite for electoral reform in the UK as yet.

Michael Kenny suggests that the notion of an English nationalism is a phenomenon that seems to lend itself, almost without exception, to the twin perils of overstatement and underestimation. This post originally appeared on The Conversation.

The election of a Conservative majority government paves the way for a referendum on Britain’s future in the European Union. Anthony Salamone outlines some of the challenges ahead for the upcoming renegotiation and referendum. This post orignially appeared on LSE British Politics and Policy.

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Brexit is re-making the UK’s constitution under our noses. The territorial constitution is particularly fragile. Pursuing Brexit, Theresa May’s government has stumbled into deep questions about devolution.

The UK in a Changing Europe has formed a new Brexit Policy Panel (BPP). The BPP is a cross-disciplinary group of over 100 leading social scientists created to provide ongoing analysis of where we have got to in the Brexit process, and to forecast where we are headed.
Members of the UK in a Changing Europe Brexit Policy Panel complete a monthly survey addressing three key areas of uncertainty around Brexit: if —and when—the UK will leave the EU; how Brexit will affect British politics; and what our relationship with the EU is likely to look like in the future. The CCC participates on the Panel.

The House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee issued its report ‘Devolution and Exiting the EU: reconciling differences and building strong relationships’. Discussing its contents, Professor Nicola McEwen suggests that the report includes some practical recommendations, some of which were informed by CCC research. It also shines a light on some of the more difficult challenges ahead.

The politicisation of Brexit, combined with deteriorating relations between London and Dublin, has created a toxic atmosphere in Northern Ireland, says Mary Murphy, which will require imagination and possibly new institutions to resolve.